Asset Integrity in the Offshore Construction Industry - Adopting the Operators’ Best Practices

The analysis of root causes of the latest Major Accidents in the Oil&Gas industry has shown that there is little correlation between having and religiously following an effective Occupational Health & Safety Management System and the assurance of Asset Integrity. While Asset Integrity may be considered as a well-established framework in offshore drilling and production operations, this is not yet the case for typical offshore construction operations. Saipem has developed an Asset Integrity Management Model, based on internationally recognized standards, aimed at controlling the risks related to Major Accident Hazards posed by the offshore operations in the company portfolio, including offshore construction. The model identifies the Safety Case as the key process to analyse Major Accident Scenarios. The Safety Case identifies barriers in place to prevent escalation to major events and, when failing to prevent, at least to mitigate final consequences. Barriers entail a mix of three main types of Safety Critical Elements: Equipment, Competences and Procedures. While the identification and assurance of Performance Standards of (Safety Critical) Equipment is systematic and supported by a consolidated approach, the same cannot always be said for Safety Critical Competences and Safety Critical Procedures, due to their "soft" nature. As for Equipment, where key parameters outline the expected performance (e.g. functionality, reliability/availability, vulnerability), for Safety Critical Competences and Safety Critical Procedures an equivalent set shall be established. Another major challenge is posed by setting meaningful and effective KPIs to monitor all key elements that contribute to building Asset Integrity. Examples are Performance Standards of Safety Critical Elements, Management of Change, Procurement & Design of Equipment, Document Management, Communication & Awareness. Asset Integrity lagging and leading indicators are available in the literature, especially for Process Safety, but in the field of offshore construction, this is not the case. Saipem is pioneering the implementation of an Asset Integrity approach onboard Offshore Construction Vessels, addressing in particular non-marine Safety Critical Equipment, Competences and Procedures.